Gorgeous Carat Galaxy

Gorgeous Carat universe

by You Higuri

Florian takes Ray and Lila to a distant relative's estate/castle known for its unique garden with sculptures of monsters. Jacques, who now oversees the estate, is forced to sell some of its treasures for upkeep and to take care of his cousin, Eleonora. Things are complicated by a blizzard and the arrival of Jacque's fiancee, Charlotte, who abhors Eleonora. A mysterious figure starts to attack guests, and Eleonora kidnaps Florian, who she sees as a symbol of the time in her childhood when she was still innocent. While searching for Florian, Ray and the others discover a complex series of secret paths.

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Romance, Historical, LGBT, Fiction, Comics

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2004

About the author

You Higuri (氷栗優) is a Japanese shōjo and yaoi manga artist. She is known especially for her drawings of beautiful fantasy men in romantic storylines set in historical Europe, such as Gorgeous Carat in early 20th-century France and Cantarella during the Italian Renaissance.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Sushi (寿司) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rilettura. Quando gli Yaoi, S-Ai, erano spacciati per Shoujo Manga. Pensandoci ora visto che shoujo manga vuol dire manga per ragazze non sarebbe del tutto sbagliato ma sono più felice ora che hanno collane a se tutte loro. Anche i semplici S-Ai dove non succede niente di speciale.

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's You Higuri, of course I loved it. This was a re-read for me, I just felt like visiting Ray and Florian and Lila and Solomon again... It's a stand-alone volume set after the "Gorgeous Carat" series and once again, Florian is the damsel in distress, hehe. Also, I love this - the possible relationship between Ray and Florian is only hinted at, there's no sex, it's all plot and character stuff.

[osoi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ха-ха) Теги к этому однотомнику читать оказалось интересней самой книги. Со всякими Fallen Nobility и Dark Ambience я ожидала встретить как минимум мрачую, темную подноготную знати – например, тайные общества и жертвоприношения (?) В общем, чтобы магистрам Тевинтера стало завидно :D А получила динамичный новогодний спешл со снегом, мистикой, замками и семейными тайнами, где главгерой спасает свою принцессу из лап монстров. И совсем неважно, что принцесса эта – белокурый бисёнен, что не чурается кросс-дрессинга :) К сожалению, персонажи не вызывают особого интереса, рисунок – не из любимых, а сюжет тащит на волнах недосказанности почти до самого финала, чтобы оказаться из разряда самых банальных. Книга не зашла, хотя моментами саспенс был хорош – замок, отрезанный от всего мира снегопадом, загадочные нападения, потайные ходы и прочие атрибуты. Увы.

hisashiburi

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a standalone long volume from a different publisher than the rest (and apparently in Japan this series also lost it's publisher and was picked up by someone else). This was vaguely better than some of the others I read but there is nothing really new here. I did like that it riffed off Castle Orsini's Gardens of Bomarzo which is filled with grotesque statuary.

In this case, the grotesque statuary belongs to another impoverished branch of Florian's family. Florian used to be close to his cousins, including the fae-like Eleanora. However, his cousin Jacques (which I might have that name wrong) is trying to save the estate for Eleanora and his fiancee, Charlotte by selling off the huge collection of art. Florian has convinced Ray to come and buy a little something and they naturally bring Laila (Lila in my translation) along.

A blizzard locks them in along with some other would be buyers and then the murders begin to happen. The Gothic inspired tale is enhanced by Eleanora's personality. She is either insane or persecuted and it takes a while to know which.

FLorian naturally ends up the damsel in distress again but at least Ray isn't running around saying how much he wants to whip and beat Florian. Possessive still. Laila still can't remember not to call Ray Noir once again doing it in front of Solomon Sugar.

It was better than the other two volumes I've read but still, it's not great.It still gets one star just for being a classic even if I don't quite see the appeal.

[Derekica Snake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a second series featuring Ray (Noir-jewel thief) and Florian (pretty boy collateral) and their adventures in a creepy mysterious castle with murder and mayhem as a side dish. Needless to say Ray owns Florian, maybe he even loves him, but until the matter of the debt is cleared up he will remain exotic and aloof. (See Gorgeous Carat – good luck finding #2)

There is a creepy squick factor winding its way through the story line. While the little girl doesn’t come out and say it, I think her uncle, who turns out to be really her dad (mother and brother icky icky) was molesting her after her mother died. It’s no wonder the girl is off the deep end. All her talking about monsters in the garden doesn’t help. The only bright light in her young life has been Florian so she invites him up to purchase artwork to keep the mansion up to snuff.

Ray doesn’t want to be there. Florian is wide eyed and bushy tailed enough that you want to reach into the page and just smack him one. A storm blows in and guests start dying. Ray stays uninvolved until the little girl absconds with his little French aristocratic sweet roll. Florian has been the only one who ever treated her with respect so as a favour she rolls out the kegs of gun powder so he can stay with her forever... in little bitty pieces.

It’s up to Ray to find all the tricks and traps of this mansion of horror before everything he cares about gets blown to hell.

[ashes ➷ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprised I never rated this, as I'm rereading for what must be the third or fourth time at least. Probably a three for a pretty basic snowed-in plot that overstays its welcome with a few unnecessary twists and some tropey misogynist sides, which nonetheless does much of what it came to do-- which is to say really just tease fangirls.

I've already discussed how yaoi functions as nostalgia, love/hate, academic interest, and a bunch of other things, so I won't rehash that here-- but I will say that this is a much easier read than the first four books in this series, in that it 1) is drastically less racist (by just... not writing nonwhite characters? yeegh.) (but still plenty racist!!) 2) includes some soft moments between Florian and Noir in that classic sure-we-kissed-in-the-last-arc-but-it'll-never-come-up-again ultimate yaoi fashion. Also, I've discovered that a lot of my favorite book tropes apparently come from this thing. I'm going to do my best to forget now... at least until reread season comes around again.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather odd volume in the Georgeous Carat universe this one is a stand alone gothic tale that has Florian convince Noir to help out one of his relatives by actually buying some artwork. They get stuck in the mansion by a freak snow storm and of course family secrets and skelletons in the closet are revealed. This feels far too light for an incredibly dark story hinting at paedophilia and incest. The yaoi content is equally minimised although we do get Noir carrying an injured Florian and a fun cross-dressing interlude to round things off.

Somehow the series never quite ticks all the boxes for me, despite having great characters, and really nice artwork.

[Sparrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember how excited I was when I found out a new Gorgeous Carat book was coming out. Even then, I found this volume disappointing. It was uninteresting and lacked intensity compared to the main plot of the series. The relation to soap operas was depressingly evident. We also learned nothing new about our main characters. It was episodic and bland. But I guess fans of the series clamored with a new addition. Anyways, I'm at least done.

[Emily G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ray and Florian are back and it's not long before one of them is in trouble and needs rescuing, and let's face it, it's generally Florian *g*! But despite this predictability, I do love Gorgeous Carat, Ray and Florian endear themselves to you with their tragic pasts and obvious love for each other.

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much memories! Vzpomínám si, jak se tahle knížka dala sehnat na jediném livejournalu na celým internetu, půlka scanu byla japonský, druhá půlka až nečitelne zažloutlé... A jakou jsem z toho měla radost :3 skvělá oldschool klasika, musím si ještě někdy znovu přečíst i tu původní sérii.

[The other Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork; uninspired writing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this - who could resist?